Slide-valve internal-combustion engine



Dec. 4,1923. 1,476,359

E. A. FORD SLIDE VALVE INTERNAL CMBUSTION ENGNE Filed May l0 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet I xxxmsxxx @mi M 7 Dec. 4 1923. E

E. A. FORD SLIDE VALVE INTERNAL coMEUsTroN ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F1106 May l0 1923 QYYX as l Fatented el,

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SLIDEJVALVE NThlltNL--C TBUSEGN ENGNE.

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Fae it known that l, EUGENE ri.. Fone, a citizen ci the United States, residing at West Newton, in the county ci Middlesex and State ot Massachusetts, have ented new and useful improvements in Slice-Valve lnternaleCornbustion Engines, ol' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valve gears for internal combustion enoines and has for its objects to provide a slide valve for sucheni gines, `and inea-ns ior the eiiicient cooling, lubrication and packing ot the slide valve and to associate therewith a simple nieans for coupling a single adinission and exhaust port in the engine cylinder controlled by said valve, exclusively with separate passages for combustible mixture exhaust gases.

Referring to the drawings in which the preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated.,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of one cyl inder ci' an internal combustion engine containing this preferred embodiment.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2,2 ot Figure 1.

Figures 3 and a are fragmentary lon-1 gitudinal sections illustrating the action ci the valve gear and showing the saine in dii?- 'erent positions.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section on line 5 5 of Figure Il.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale of the mount or guide means for the valve, showing a raginentv ciz the valve therein.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing in elevation the slide and its guideway.

Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever they occur in all the figures.

This invention is applicable to an i L er it plural cylinder engine the saine niecnanisin is duplicated as to each cylinder. luf. drawings one ot the units of a plural cy.- inder engine is shown for illustration.

Referring now first to Figures 1 and 2, 10 represents'the engine cylinder and 11 represents the piston which is adapted to reciprocatetherein in the usual manner.. Y 12 represents the clearance s iace ot the cylinder and 13 a port through which 'both the `coniibis mixture is admitted and the exhaust s are discharged. 14 is the cylinder and 15 a spa-rl; plug or equivalent igju device. i

' ie outer face ot that wall of the cylinder blcclr through which the port opens is finwith a plane surface and provided .s zuaideway, the character and construe tion of which` will be later described in detail, and in suoli guideway is placed a slide valve 16, which is retained by a cover plate 17. Over the outer face ot the cover plate is secured a fitting 18 having a passage cr nozzle i9 which registers with the port 13; and the cover plate 17 has a. port opening 2G in register' therewith. Registering with the passage 19 is a connection 21 having an interior partition 22 which separates two passages 28 and 2li from one another. One of said passages is the intake` or supply passage for the combustible mixture. and the other is the exhaust passage. For the purposes the present speciiication it is not important which passage is the intake and which the exhaust.

il switch partition or septum 25 is located lin the passage 19 and registers with the partition 22, and is provided with trunnions 26 adapted to turn in bearings formed in the abutting side walls ot the passage conduits i9 and 21, whereby the switch is enabled to cscillate so as to put either ot the passages 23 or 2a exclusively in communication with the ports and 13. The Inovable end of the switch 25 projects close to the plate 1'?, and the adjacent surface of the latter is recessed at 27 to provide a concave surface concentric with the trunnions '26, into a substantial contact with which the switch extends. Thus the end of the switch in all of its positions is equally close to the surface of the plate. f

A cani shalt 28 operates both the slide valve 16 and the switch 25. lt drives the valve by means ot' a cani 29 and a lever 30 having a roll 31 on which the edge of the earn. hears, and having one or more fingers.

32 extending int-o holes 33 (see Figures 5V and 7) in the valve.V A spring 34 is` supported by an abutment 35 and bea-rs against the lever 30, holding its lroll against the cam 29 and returning it'and the valve after the valve has been displaced by the action of the cam. For operating the switch, the

shaft is equipped with a cam 36 which acts on an arm 37 secured to one of the switch trunnions 26.

The stationary parts i7, 18, and 22 are secured together and to the cylinder block by lloolts or any other means known in the art, and said Aparts together' with the movable parts, are enclosed in a casing 38.

Heretofore ditliculty has been encountered with the use of slide valves for internal combustion engines in preventing overheating oi' such valves, in lubricating them, and in making them sufliciently leakage tight. l have incorporated in my valve gear and in the engine structure a construction which causesl the valve to prevent appreciable leakage of the gas under compression from the port when the valve is closed, together with etlicient means for lul'iricating and means for assuring the cooling oi the valve to such a ten'iperature that it will not become roughened by burning oli ot the lubricant and sticking to'zthe cylinder wall. The construction referred to is more particularly shown in Figures 6 and 7, in conjunction with Figure l. lThe valve is a tlat plate, preferably ot hardened steel, ground on both sides to a smooth and true surl ce. The outer surface of the cylinder against which it lies is likewise ground to a smooth plane surface, and on this surface are'mounted hardened steel `plates or strips and 4() which define the guideway in which the valve travels, rand an end plate or strip which closes the end ol this `guideway. ln a plural cylinder engine, preferably a single plate 4l extends the whole length ot the cylinder-block at the upper limit of the surface whereon the several valves bear, and a series of guide strips 39 are provided between the ports ot 'the several cylinders to delimit separate and iude'pendent guideways for the several valves. These plates or strips are ground on `=ocrh surfaces in true parallel planes and to a thickness enough greater than that oi' the valve to give clearance. Then the .outer plate 17 is likewise preterahlyof hardened steel, ground on Lits inner surface toco-ritorni with the outer surfaces of the guide plates 39, V40, and 4l. A suliicient degree oit accuraey'in dimensions of iinish is possible to r`cause this plate, when applied to the cylinder block as described, and bolted tast, to make leakage-tight joints with Athe guideway-bounding plates and to permit lree' travel of the valve with a clearance for the latter of not more than one one-thousandth of an inch; The edges of the valve approach the guide strips 39 and 40 with approximately the same amount of clearance and thereby the valve is litted so closely to the cylinder wall and to its guides. that leakage of the working gas, even in the absence ot lubricating oil, issubstantially prevented.

However, leakage'of gas is further prevented and the valve lubricated by the tollowing means, A chamber 42 receives oil from pump, not shown, and delivers oil through a port 43 into a groove 44 inside of the cylinder, to pack the piston ll against leakage of the working fluid. From this groove a small eduction port 45 opens into a pipe 4G, and the pipe runs alongside the cylinder as shown inV Figure 2 and discharges into a groove 47 which Vextends across the outer tace of the cylinder block over which the valve travels. This groove lacing kept constantly iilled with oil distributes a film ot oil over the tace of the valve as the latter travels, and delivers oil into holes 481 which are out through the valve, whereby oil is allowed to How between its outer face and the surface of the cover plate also. The oil in groove 44, being confined between the piston and cylinder wall, is sub'M jected to the working pressure ot the gas in the cylinder., which pressure is transmitted through the contents of pipe 46 to the oil in groove 47. Any loss of oil which might occur by leakaoe is replenished by the pump. Thus the slice valve, as well as the piston, is sealed against leakage during the compression and working strokes of the engine.

il water jacket space 48 is provided between the cylinder wall proper and the outer wall of the cylinder block, as shown in Figure 2, a part ot this space being thus back of the wall against the face of which the valve bears. l have provided in and adjacent to that part ot the water jacket means tor compelling flow oi the waterr entering the jacket iirst into thermal contact with that` wall of the cylinder 1clock against which thel valve bears, Vwherefore substantially the coolest water in the jacket is made available for cooling the valve.

Following the usual practice in engine cooling systems, the cooled water from the radiator enters the bottom of the acket and the heated water is returned to the radiator from the top part of the jacket. In this design there is arranged at the bottom of the jacket and along that side of the cylinder block where the valves are mounted a trunk 49 to which the water from the radiator is conducted. In Figure 2 the numeral 50 represents the end of the radiator connection which is joined to this trunk. In the trunk I place a pipe 5l, which substantially lills the trunk and is arranged with its entrance end inV register with the connec- This partition is so made lasto delimit from' Vtion 50. In the jacket space between the the rest of thev jacket a vertical passageway immediately back of the valve. .Preferably the partition is made of sheet metal bent on longitudinal lines between its edges and its middle zone so as to provide two wings 52 of such width as to cross the space beween the inner and outer walls of the cylinder block, the central zone of the partition then bearing on the outer wall of the block and the edges bearing on the outside of the-cylin drical inner wall. The form and position ot the partition may, however, be reversed and the central zone be shaped to fit the inner cylindrical wall and its edges arranged to cross into substantial Contact with the outer wall. 0r the partition might be made as a complete tube having continuous peripheral walls and appropriately shaped to fit the space in which it resides.

in the upper side of the tube 5l is a slot 53 which registers with the passageway delimited by the above described partition. ln a multiple cylinder engine there is such a partition, passageway, and emission slot adjacent to each valve, and the only outlet from the pipe 5l is by means of this slot 53 or a number of such slots. Thereby the stream of cooled water flowing to the jackets is at once directed into thermal contact with the wall with which the valve is in contact, and between the valve and the source of heat, before flowing to other parts of the jacket and being heated; wherefrom it follows that the valve and its guideway are kept at a lower temperature than other parts of the cylinder, and may be kept at as low a temperature as is needed to prevent overheating, by the simple expedient of insuring that the water entering the jacket is cool enough. That is, have provided a special means for so directing the flow of the cooling water, that the temperature of the valve may be certainly kept below a definite prescribed limit. The relatively cool combustible mixture flowing past the valve and the structural parts adjacent thereto contribute to this effect.

The operation of the slide valve and switch will be readily understood from the foregoing description. rlhere remains only to be said that the cam 36 which operates the switch is shaped and timed properly in relation to the valve-operating cam 29 to place and retain the switch at one side or the other of the port during the suction and exhaust strokes, respectively, of the engine. The position of the switch during exhaust is that shown in Figure il, and its position duringy the suction stroke is that shown in Figure 4f. Figure 1 shows it in mid-position in the course of shifting from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure l. This shift occurs between the exhaust stroke and the suction stroke of the engine, and at that time the valve and the switch move in unison flow has ceased. rhatis, the cams are shaped n and timed with respect to each other and to the engine cycle to cause the valve to move vapproxirnately in unison with the switch when the engine piston approaches the dead point on the exhaust stroke. It will naturally be understood that suitable means, such a spring 2371 or other "ise, are provided to retain thefswitch-operating erm 33 in cngageinent with the driving cani therefor.

Another invention which may be used with the engine disclosed in this specification and which l claim in a ./.livisional application consists in the fact that the cylinder head is constructed to be made adjustable and at the same time gas tight, whereby to alter the volume of the clearance space. To this end the cylinder head is made as a plug which is screwed into the cylinder, and is provided with a flange 54 between which and the end of the cylinder is placed a washer 55. When t-he head is fully screwed in, the clearance space is at the minimum, but by screwing out the head more or less this space may be enlarged. ln any such adjustment the head may be made tight by inserting a sufficient number of washers between its {iange and the end of the cylinder; and thereafter when reduction in size of the clearance space is desired, one or more of the washers may be removed and the head screwed in further in proportion.

Such an adjustable head is not susceptible of being water cooled, wherefore in order that it may be eiiectually air cooled, l make it of hollow construction, with a deep and wide recess in its outer side, and mount therein cylindrical radiating ribs 56 which are conveniently thin walled metal tubes of diiferent diameters fitted and secured to ribs integral with the cylinder head, the latter being most conveniently a castino. By making the inner radiating tubes longer than the outer enla-s, all the ribs are exposed to air flowing over the engine and such air flow is deflected in the spaces between the ribs.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. ln an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a jacket for cooling liquid, a slide valve arranged to cooperate with said cylinder and means for directing the cooling fluid entering the jacket into thermal contact first with the wall against which said valve bears.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder having a port, inner and outer walls with a space Jfor cooling fluid between them, through which said port opens, a slide valve arranged to travel in contact with the outer surface of said outer Wall across the port, and means for directing the cooling fluid entering said space into thermal Contact first With the Wall against which the slide valve bears.

l 8. An internal combustion engine having a slide valve and a Water jacket, and means for directing a stream of cooling Water in said jacket between part of the engine wall against which the slide valve makes contact and the source of heat WithinV the cylinder.

l. In an internal combustion engine cylinder block having inner and outer Walls With a space between them for cooling Water, a port passing through said walls, a slide valve on the outer side of the outer Vrear side of that part of the Wall Whereon the valve bears, whereby the coolest Water in the jacket is brought into thermal Contact with the valveway and valve. j

In testimonjv Whe-reci I have affixed my signature.

EUGENE A. FORD. 

